HOMEMADE CANADA GOOSE JERKY

Goose jerky suspended with
toothpicks in the oven

I gave up trying to make Canadian Geese palatable years ago and have now settled into turning every downed goose into jerky that I make in the kitchen with homemade products. I got tired of serving geese every which way and the end result was always a cross between a leather boot and a soccer ball. Now this jerky recipe can be done in a day with minimal effort and I usually divide up the jerky pieces into zip lock bags and freeze them for snacks on ice fishing runs.

The key to the uniformity of the jerky is the oven placement. Do not place the jerky pieces directly on the oven rack. I use toothpicks and run the pick thru the top of the strip and lay the strips between the rack spaces using the toothpick to hold up the jerky. It is sort of a "T" concept to hold the pieces dangling which helps the meat to dry uniformly. Start out by cutting small strips from the goose breast in typical jerky size. Lay these pieces in a large, shallow bowl and marinate the goose pieces for 24 hours in your refrigerator. Be sure and cover the marinating geese bowl with tin foil.

The next day skewer the pieces with the toothpicks and arrange in your oven by hanging them between the rack spaces. I set the oven at 150 degrees and give the meat a good 7 to 8 hours of oven time to dry out. Always leave the oven cracked open about an inch to allow the moisture to escape. Right now I am purging my leftover game from the freezer to get ready for the new season. This is a great way to utilize some of those geese from last season you have been avoiding !